Italy’s Five Star Movement Wins Big in Mayoral Elections

Italy’s anti-establishment party Five Star dealt a heavy blow to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his center-left Democratic Party (PD) on Sunday winning two mayoral races, Rome and Turin, and giving the capital its first female mayor, Virginia Raggi.

The Democratic Party managed to secure two other principal cities, Milan and Bologna, but appeared unlikely to take Naples from centrist incumbent Luigi de Magistris, the BBC reports.

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The results are seen a resounding victory for Five Star that could thwart Renzi’s chances of winning an October constitutional referendum and propel the anti-globalist party forward as a major contender in Italy’s 2018 parliamentary elections.